EFL Teachers‟ Practice in Using Process Approach in Teaching Writing Skills and the Challenges they face: Wolkite Secondary Schools in Focus

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the process approach was being implemented in writing skills at secondary schools in Wolkite City Administration. To accomplish this purpose, the study employed a descriptive study design, which was supplemented by both quantitative and qualitative research to enrich the data. The study was carried out in four secondary schools selected through purposive sampling aimed to make the sample by including all English Language Teachers in the Wolkite city administration. Then, 16 EFL English Language teachers were selected from the four secondary schools using simple random sampling technique to be observation. Questionnaire, semi-structured interview and classroom observation were data collection tools used for this study. Therefore, the data from classroom observation indicated that the majority of English teachers did not use the process approach in teaching writing skills. According to the data from the questionnaire, the teachers confirmed that students did not learn writing by passing through different stages in process approach. The data from the semi-structure interview revealed that few teachers used the process approach under rare circumstances. The major problems attributed to the disregarding of the process approach in the course of teaching/learning of writing were lack of time to finish the portion for the academic year , lack of interest to learn writing and lack of clear awareness from the teachers side. The dominant constraints that were identified as uncertain block during the teaching/learning of writing were students‟ shortcomings in grammar, lack of experience in writing, phobia to practice and learn writing, time shortage to write various texts and carry out feedback. Therefore, having done the necessary analysis on the study‟s findings, recommendations were drawn on the key stakeholders in practices of process writing approach.